Now you can make this take-out favorite at home in just minutes. Deli roast beef, basil pesto and mozzarella cheese provide the tasty filling in this grilled sandwich.

Ingredients

8

slices Italian bread, 1/2 inch thick

2

tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1/4

cup basil pesto

1/2

lb thinly sliced cooked deli roast beef

4

slices (1 oz each) mozzarella cheese

Pasta sauce, warmed, if desired

Directions

1Spread 1 side of each bread slice with butter. Spread 1 tablespoon pesto on unbuttered side of 4 bread slices; place buttered sides down in 12-inch skillet or grill pan. Top with beef, cheese and remaining bread slices, buttered sides up.

2Cook over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until bread is crisp and cheese is melted. Serve with pasta sauce.

Expert Tips

Panini, which means “small breads” in Italian, are all kinds of hearty sandwiches cooked like the American favorite, a grilled cheese sandwich. So although they sound cosmopolitan, they are remarkably quick to make.

Grill marks from a ridged grill pan lend authenticity to this sandwich. Some people even use their grills to heat these sandwiches.

Like chicken better than beef? Thinly sliced cooked deli chicken changes the flavor without changing the appeal of this sandwich.